Spain for Jan +Feb (1 Viewer)

Jun 14, 2018
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Having had great advice re a trailer for our MP3 and assistance sorting our T.V We had a fabulous 3/52 in France
We have now decided we would like to escape the cold of January and February and head off to Spain
So lots of questions for those that have done/doing the same
1) Best time to go just after new year?
2) Best route that essentially avoids most of the expensive tolls?
3) We are thinking maybe some time in Benidorm then Mojacar
4) Any advice re sites would be greatly received including prices, we do have the scooter so can get out and about but would also like to be within walking distance (Approximately a mile) so the old chap can have a jar or two to keep him happy.
6)Also budget as don't have a clue how much to budget for the trip Average prices for food and drink would be really helpful
Basically any advice and pitfalls for newbies
Thanks to all in advance
 

Rob and Val

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Joe Griffin

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We are also heading to Spain in January. We were thinking of going via Portugal but some have advised the weather may not be the greatest near the atlantic. So what route other than the very good eastern route produced by Tonka. Thanks.
 
Jul 13, 2008
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We are also heading to Spain in January. We were thinking of going via Portugal but some have advised the weather may not be the greatest near the atlantic. So what route other than the very good eastern route produced by Tonka. Thanks.
Get to the Mediterranean Coast asap.
 
Sep 26, 2013
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We are also heading to Spain in January. We were thinking of going via Portugal but some have advised the weather may not be the greatest near the atlantic. So what route other than the very good eastern route produced by Tonka. Thanks.
That will be a first:D

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Sep 26, 2013
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If you want a toll free route then go Portsmouth to Bilbao and then head South. A lot of the popular coastal sites will be full early January so you will not have much choice. There will be no tolls in Spain as the one South of Bilbao the A1 becomes toll free in December. The AP7 on the med coast will also become toll free but not for a couple of years.
 

Joe Griffin

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Thanks for the replies so far. I should have said that this will be our first trip to Spain and our first long trip away in the motorhome. We will be drjving through France so we can visit friends on the way south. We plan to head initially to Bilbao. The question is whether our only real option is to travel down the med coast. Our initial plan was to visit Valladolid, Salamanca and cross into Portugal. Visit Coimbre and Lisbon and then head on down southwards and then explore tge coast travelling eastwards. We're not in a great hurry but if the weather is not great then we'd speed up the journey south.
 

mikebeaches

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At risk of stating the obvious, the ACSI discount scheme could be useful if you are likely to be touring for much of the time.

Not far from Mojacar, and about half a mile from the sea, we stay at Camping Cuevas Mar, at Palomares, just north of Garrucha. The current ACSI price is €17 euro inc hook-up. It may increase to €18 from January - there are new price bands for the New Year. Oh and part of the site is naturist. :)

Nice bar / restaurant - Monika's - a couple of hundred yards away.

https://www.campingcard.co.uk/spain/andalusia/almeria/palomares/campsite-cuevas-mar-109433/

http://www.campingcuevasmar.com/

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Macca1954

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We went last January and headed on to the east coast benicasim etc then travelled south as far as roquetes. Then stopped as we met people coming out of Portugal as weather was bad. Might be better just following the weather forecast if it’s sun that you want
 
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We've done Spain via France but it's a long haul in the winter usually cold, wet and not many sites open.
We came back once via Bilbao in February and it was great. Toll free roads, good snow clearing and only needed a couple of stops along the way.
Roses just over the French border is lovely and also Benicassim and Torre del Mar. All good places for easy access to the promenade for people with mobility problems.
The coast from Bilbao to Portugal could be tricky with bad weather.
Have a great time - I'm jealous!
 

Joe Griffin

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We are going to see what the weather is like for the journey from UK to Spain. We will head to Portsmouth around the 28th December. If the forecast is OK then we might just take the direct ferry to Bilbaoa or Santander and visit French friends on the way home at the end of January weather permitting. Once in Spain I guess we will again check the weather and see what the situation is. Maybe we should delay the trip for a few weeks? Views on this idea.

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Macca1954

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If you want to do Bilbao you will need to book. It’s not just a roll up job
 
Feb 9, 2008
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Have a look at this.

Firstly, routes and route maps for France and Spain. This first link is an award winning database about France. It has a host of information on best routes to many locations. I have selected the famous N10 route from Calais to Irun which is used by many motorhomes when travelling to Spain. It’s almost Toll free (more on that a little later) and almost all duel carriageway from start to finish with the exception of about 100 K. This route is great for motorhomes small, medium and large. Note: (HGV’s are not allowed on French roads, Sunday’s, so plan your journey over a weekend if possible).

https://about-france.com/tourism/no-tolls-routes.htm

Tolls: Avoid the toll road from Calais to Abbeville and save 12.50 Euros. The non-toll route is quite scenic and fairly straight forward, between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Abbeville.

At Abbeville, join the A28 and cross the river Sein at Rouen. We take the second exit immediately after crossing the bridge (about 50 m past the first exit at the end of the bridge), swing down and under the bridge you have just crossed and continue on this road and join the A13 motorway until the N154 which takes you down to Evreux. (Note: there are a number of different options for getting through Rouen and no doubt other members will have their own preferences. We find this very straight forward on both outward and return legs). Approaching Tours on the D910 join the A10 toll road at Jct. 19 and exit at Jct. 23. This will take you through the city via the toll road, (€1.80). At Jct. 23 take the exit lane for Montbazon which returns you to the D910. (Reverse for the return leg). That’s the last toll to pay until you hit the bottom of the A63 after Bordeaux.

To save toll fares on the A63 south of Bordeaux please read the route recommendations in the above link. Do not come off the A63 near the bottom as all roads will be heavily congested and it’s worth paying the last few tolls. (From Jct 6 €8.90 in total) (Fuel costs approx. €147.84 (Based on 1056 K @10K per Ltr. @€1.40 per ltr. 3.5T motorhome)). This route is also recommended during winter, due to its proximity to the Atlantic ocean, which means little to no problems with ice and or snow, unlike using the A75 to cross the Massif Central. Although the A75 is quickly cleared, it is advisable to have winter tyres fitted and there may be some small delays due to snow ploughs clearing this route.

If heading to the Mediterranean side of Spain, it’s worth taking the N121-A to Pamplona after crossing the Spanish boarder on the A63 at Irun. It’s clearly sign posted (Large white sign) about 300 m after passing through the last toll booth and crossing the river. Also here are Repsol fuel stations and shopping opportunities. You will find more details in this link for the N121-A and how to navigate Spain toll free.

https://about-spain.net/travel/no-tolls.htm

If you decide to pay Tolls in order to save time getting to Spain, your best route options are in this link.

https://about-france.com/tourism/routes-to-spain.htm

Should you choose to plan your own routes anywhere in Europe and also establish Toll costs, (or toll free costs) use this link. Under route options, select caravan then select toll roads. Toll costs for a class 2 motorhome will be calculated for the whole journey. You can also choose Non toll routes and other options. This is currently one of the best online free route planers.

https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

As for stop overs on routes, you can’t go wrong using the App below which is free but I would recommend getting the paid version for about £6.00 which you can then use off line. You will find numerous places to stop along the above route and I have deliberately not made any recommendations so drivers can make their own choices. This app is also brilliant for finding other places too and highly rated by many users.

https://www.campercontact.com/en/content/app

There is another popular app/website that is used which you may also find useful if you’re doing a lot of wilding and looking for free overnight stops. It too is used by many motor homers in Europe. Get the paid version to use off line for around £9.00

https://www.park4night.com/

One of the best off line MAP ‘App’ and used by many. It also includes a sat-nav function which is quite good and can also be used off line. Again many motor homers use this, especially in Morocco.

Broken Link Removed

Finally, for those looking for a data sim card for their ‘mifi’ unit or tablet (WiFi) this is the best deal in the UK and possibly the best deal in the whole of the E.U. at this moment in time. A massive 50GB of 4g data for only £30.00 a month on a monthly rolling contract. Cancel the contract after two months to get the full 3 months usage throughout the whole of the E.U. Other options also available.

(Tip!) (Go on their online ‘Web Chat’ and ask them to confirm the contract starts when you activate the sim and if they agree (they did with me) keep a copy of the Web Chat that they will email to you, otherwise the contract will start from the day your order the sim card). After two months contact customer services by phone and cancel the contract by giving them 30 days’ notice. This prevents their fair play usage kicking in after 3 months and you paying through your nose for Wi-Fi. If they say the contract started from when you made the order contact the complaints number and they will honour the agreement made with the Chat agent! (UK number is 03333 041 524 (standard call charges apply, they will even call you back if you ask them and they are very helpful)). The Wi-Fi coverage is exceptional.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/bundles-and-sims/sim-only-data-bundles/

Vodaphone APN settings for an unlocked MiFi.

https://search.vodafone.co.uk/search?proxystylesheet=default_frontend&q=APN+settings&x=0&y=0
 

Macca1954

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yes we may be forced to do that anyway as the direct ferries are already quite booked up. Three days through France?
It’s not bad if weather is good might be able to do somport tunnel

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mfw

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I'm heading to spain in jan as well last minute but swmbo has an operation due in a couple of weeks then the check-up a few weeks later so got to get that out the way - newhaven-dieppe route across for me as just down the road ferry home already booked 28th march - swmbo has well tied us down with the need for a new hip she is not even 60 yet
 
Feb 9, 2008
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We are going to see what the weather is like for the journey from UK to Spain. We will head to Portsmouth around the 28th December. If the forecast is OK then we might just take the direct ferry to Bilbaoa or Santander and visit French friends on the way home at the end of January weather permitting. Once in Spain I guess we will again check the weather and see what the situation is. Maybe we should delay the trip for a few weeks? Views on this idea.
My advice would be to drive from Calais or possibly Dieppe depending on where you live in the UK and your age. The DFDS ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe offers a 20% discount for pensioners when telephone only bookings are made. Driving down from Calias to the Spanish border of Irun in December/ January is 9 times out of 10 problem free. Worst case scenario would be driving through some heavy rain and windy conditions until you get a few hundred miles under your belt and then everything changes. We do this trip every year at this time and always found it problem free as far as the weather is concerned. Forget about snow and Ice as one is too close to the Atlantic ocean for that to be an issue. Most years we find the weather very good and once we get about halfway down start to see a difference in weather patterns and air temperature. By the time we hit Bordeaux we are seeing blue skies again, if not before and certainly noticing a difference in air temperature.
The saving we make by not taking the ferry to Spain is substantial especially when you consider the return cost and the possibility of chucking your guts up in the Bay of Biscay if by a small chance you encounter bad seas. Some member swear by this crossing and do it every year and no doubt feel refreshed when driving off the ferry. It's a case of each and every one to their own.
 
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Sylvia Want
Jun 14, 2018
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So helpful thank you all
We live near Folkestone so the ferry was a no brainier choice for us, booked for the 3rd of January so no going back now, Will just have to offer up a prayer to the weather gods and hope for the best thank you for the route advice think we will go with that. Planning on taking 3 days to travel down hopeful that will be enough and not too enduring.
We have booked a site near Benidorm for the first month which it appears we were lucky to get as so many are fully booked up.
Philandmena so much helpful information thank you
Mikebeaces We had already thought we would look at Mojacar for our second month as we like it there, thanks for the site advice will definitely check that out.
JG feel your nerves I'm sure we will both be fine Keep in touch let us know how you are doing x

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cliffanger

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12th January We’re heading to Beni - woohoo! Six weeks there, then down, along the bottom and up the other side!
 

Joe Griffin

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Another question. We have LPG underslung tank and I know that there is an adapter for France. Is this the same for Spain? And is LPG easily got in Spain?
 
Feb 10, 2013
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I believe the santander ferry starts in march

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klaatu

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Another question. We have LPG underslung tank and I know that there is an adapter for France. Is this the same for Spain? And is LPG easily got in Spain?
Spain uses the "euro" connector for the most part rather than the "dish" connector used in France. LPG is fairly easily obtained in Spain, see https://www.mylpg.eu/stations/spain/
 

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